Railway rail joint



Aug. 6, 1963 R. A, FlEcHTER RAILWAY RAIL JOINT Filed May 27, 1957 l AN. e

INVENTOR la' dme.

www? ATTORNEYS 3,100,080 RAILWAY RAIL JUNI Rene A. Fiechter, Douglaston, NX., assigner, by mesne assignments, to American Railroad Curvelining Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed May 27, 1957, Ser. No. 661,921 11 Claims. (Cl. 23S- El) This invention relates to a railway rail joint, referring particularly to such a joint in which the rail ends are integrally but non-homogeneously connected in such a manner that the rails are securely held against longitudinal movement relative to each other.

An object of the invention is to provide a rail joint which cannot accidentally work itself loose or become accidentally loosened under any conditions whatever, apart from the application of some violent force.

ln a track in which the rails are separably joined together by splice bars in a rigid or frozen manner, there is comparatively little pounding and wear on the rail ends, where pounding and maximum wear usually occurs, and this is more especially tme `the closer together the rail ends are disposed.

As compared with a track in which the rails are welded together at their ends, it is advantageous especially from the standpoint of permitting quick and easy removal and replacement of individual rails, to separably connect the rails by means of splice bars. Accordingly, the present invention has more particularly in view to provide, on the one hand, a track wherein the rails are separably connected for individual removal and replacement, and wherein the rails are rigidly connected in abutting or relatively closed end to end relationship against the possibility of endwise movement relative to each other; and, on the other hand, to provide joints embodying novel features of construction for separably connecting the rails and eifectively holding them rigidly alined and against relative longitudinal movement.

With the foregoing and other purposes in View, the rail joint (or the like) includes the provision of a synthetic resin bonding agent interposed between two metallic parts (e.g., the rails and the iish plates, if any) which resin can be, and is, molecularly engaged with the surfaces to be connected so strongly as to obtain the desired results. A similar bonding agent may also be provided between a metallic part and a part composed of some other material (e.g., the tie plates and the ties).

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a side elevation of a rail joint together with an adjacent tie and tie plate on which the rail is secured,

FIG. 2 represents a transverse vertical section on the line II-II of FIG. l, on an enlarged scale, and

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 represent, in somewhat diagrammatic cross-section, modications in which no iish plates are used, the bonding agent being retained in effective position by the use of a two piece (FIG. 3), one piece (FIG. 4) or three piece (FIG. 5) metal sleeve.

IReferring to the drawings, a rail joint is shown as comprising the adjacent ends of two steel rails, 2, a pair of iish plates 3, 4 (also sometimes known as side plates, splice plates or joint bars) and bolts 5. The rails are intended to he supported in the customary manner upon wooden ties 6 to which they are secured by means of spikes 7, with or without the interposition of tie plates 8.

In order to eifect the bonding of rail ends according to the present invention, it is desirable to clean and roughen the metal surfaces to be bonded (as by sanddrares Parent blasting), to apply to one or both of said surfaces a coating of an epoxy resin (ethoxyline class) in a semi-liquid ire state, to assemble, or reassemble, the parts in their desired reiation including normal pressures, tensions and the like, and to cure the resin by the application of heat for a sulitable period of time.

'A lm of such a bonding agent is represented in the drawings (the thickness being exaggerated) at 9" and 10, between the fish plates 3, i and the contiguous parts of the rails, at 11 in the clearance between the shank of the bolt 5 and the 'holes through which it passes, and at 12 between the .abutting ends of the rails. In actual practice it is preferred to have the metal parts as close together as possible, i.e., practically capillary closenessabout 0.1 mm. lf this result cannot be achieved with respect to the rail-end bond at 12, the space can be filled with one or more resin coated shims of appropriate shape and thickness, including a wedge-shaped one to ensure tight iilling of the gap.

The bonding material presently preferred is the ethoxyline resin known as Araldite Type I (the Ciba brand of a reaction product of epiohlorohydrin and p,pisopro pylidene laisphenol). This material is solid at room temperature, begins to soften at 50-60 C. (l22-l40 F.) and flows freely 4at 13O11i40 C. (266-284 F.). For convenience in handling and applying this material it is preferably formulated with a suitable polymer so as to be semi-liquid at the temperature of application. It contains terminal epoxy groups and is soluble in the usual ketone solvents.

When heated for some time at temperatures above 120 C. (248 F.) curing begins and the resin adheres rmly to the surface with which it is in contact; no volatile substances lare given off and the volume undergoes practically no change. The surface of the work piece must be thoroughly cleaned and may (Ibut need not) be roughened. The resin may be applied in rod or powder form to clean metal surfaces which have been heated to 130-150 C. (266 3 02 R); or preferably in semi-liquid form to unheated surfaces, and when the resin has stuck to the surfaces as a fairly uniform iilm the parts are brought together and held rmly until fthe curing has been completed. The resin described above can be cured over a wide range of temperatures in inverse relation to the curing time, as shown in the table below. At temperatures of 190 C, (374 F.) and below, it is practically impossible to destroy the bonding agent by exceeding the recommended (minimum) time, but at temperatures of 200 C. (392 F.) and above, the maximum time limits must be carefully observed.

Curing temp. al: joint Minimum time Maximum time C.-230 F 48 hrs C.-248 F...

3 cure (for, a Ifew hours) at lower temperatures may be used Whenever possible.

As :an example of the holding power of a bonding agent such las that described above, it has lbeen found that the bonding of the ends of 132 lb. rails, using 6-h0le 4sh plates,

exhibits Ia shear strength of over 400,000 lbs.

In addition to the rigid attachment of 'adjacent rail ends to the fish plates and to each other, it is frequently `very important to fix fthe tie plates 8 immovably on their respective ties 6. For this pur-pose a bonding agent of the same-type can be used, Ias shown at 13, With the proviso thatnhe body of resin here may be substantially thicker and may even constitute a sort of pad uniting the tie plate tothe tie very iirmly but with a measurable amount of resiliency. Such a resin pad may, for the sake of economy and/or resiliency contain a suitable organic or inorganic tller (such las `ground cork).

While epoxyy type resins have recently been used for metal bonding in certain other industries, the possibility ofV using such 'bonding agents under the extremely heavy duty requirements of railroad track joints has not previously been suggested and the success of this development vis of very great importance.

The strength of the adhesive bond is such that, in some instances, the sh plates can be entirely dispensed With and replaced by relatively thin metal sleeves encasing the rail ends (except for the head) and bonded there- -to .as described above. In FIG. 3 the sleeve is shown as comprising-two unequal parts 114 and 15, the part 14 itting closely against one side of the rail and the part iittingand covering the other side and the bottom,

the parts having matching anges 14' and "15 where they are preferably bond-ed to each other.

The one piece sleeve 16- of FIG. 4 can most conveniently be applied Wherethe adjacent mail ends are so located that the sleeve can be slid all the way onto one end while the otherend is brought into position, the sleeve then being moved out to enclose said latter end.

The threepiece sleeve of FIG. 5 includes side parts 17, 18 having flanges 17', 18' and Ia bottom part 19 which is Wide enough to have its vedges match the ilanges, to which it may be bonded.

In each instance the bonding material is applied to the cleanedrail surfaces, the sleeve part or parts are positioned with clean inner surfaces facing the rail, land the entire' sleeve is tirmly pressed against the rail while #the assembly is heated to ensure curing of the .bond-ing material. It will beunderstood that the nail end surfaces are bonded `as. shown at 12 in FIG. 1, and the inal result is a strongly frozen joint which cannot be accidentally loosened. Because of the greater surface area involved, the sleeves need not be as long -as normal iish plates in order rto give ian equally strong bond.

It will be `understood that various changes maybe made in the form, construction, arrangement land materials of fthe joint structure and in -the steps of thewmethod ace complementary to vatleast a substantial proportion of the lateral surfaces of said rail end portions, said end portions and said element :being substantially rigidly bonded together bythe interposition throughout at least a major proportion of said complementary surfaces of a thermo-setting-synthetic resin bonding agent.

2..A joint according tov claim 1 in which the bonding agent is of approximately capillary thickness.

3. A joint according to claim 1 in which the rail end portions have butt end surfaces bonded together by the bonding agent as well as being bonded -to said metallic element.

4. A joint according to yclaim 3 in Iwhich the connectionbetween the butt ends of the rails includes at least 4 one shim interposed between the butt end surfaces and bonded thereto.

5. A railroad nai-1 joint comprising rail end portions and lish plates substantially rigidly bonded together by the interposition throughout at least a major proportion of the shing surfaces between said end poutions and plates of a thermo-setting synthetic resin bonding agent.

16i. A joint according to claim 5 which includes bolts so disposed as to hold 4the fish plates in close proximity to the rail end portions, pants of the sunfaces of `the bolts being bonded to the rail end portions and to the sh plates.

7. A railroad' rail joint comprising rail end portions yand a metallic sleeve element having an inner surface of extended larea complementary to at least a substantial proportion of the lateral surfaces of said rail end portions,

said complementary surfaces of the sleeve element and I of the'rai-l end portions being substantially rigidly bonded together by the interpositionthroughout at lleast a major proportion of said complementary surfaces of a thermosetting synthetic resin bonding agent.

8. A joint according to claim 7 in which the rail end portions have butt end 'surfaces bonded together by the Ibonding agent as well as being bonded to said metallic sleeve element.

9. A joint :according to claim 8 in which the connection between the butt ends of the rails includes at least one shim interposed between the butt end surfaces and bonded thereto.

10.- A joint according to claim 1 in which the bonding Iagent consists predominantly of a reaction product of l cpiohlorohydrin and p,pisopropylidene bisphenol.

ll. A bolted frozen insulated rail joint comprising, in combination, a pair of rail ends, having bolt holes, a pair of joint bars having bolt holes, a settable bonding compound iilling the space between the rail ends to form an end post, land a settable bonding compound i-n the spiace between the related load bearing faces iof the rails and joint bars, 4bio'lts connecting the bars to the rails, said bonding compound joining the rail ends and bars and bypassing the strain Ion the bolts and end post directly from one rail to the other.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 78,422 Buzby June 2, 1868 190,863 lbbotson May l5, 1877 477,672 Moxham lune 28, 1892 823,180 Leech June l2, 19016 1,266,597 Jansen et al May 21, 1918 1,659,976 Aroblbs Feb. 21, 19128 1,757,973 Mead Miay 13, 1930 2,104,157 Forcella Ian. 4, 1938 2,130,106 f Schermerhorn Sept. 13, 1938 2,512,996 Bixler lune 27, 1950 2,542,405 Fink Feb. 20, 1951 2,575,558 Newey NOV. 20, 19511 2,650,185 Larson et al Aug. 25, 1953 2,670,136 Moses Feb. 23, 1954 2,679,468 Pitman May 25, 1954 2,682,515 Naps .lune 29, 1954 2,690,879 Snyder Oct. 5, 1954 2,707,694 Standri'n-g May 3, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 133,819 Australia Aug. `l0, 1949 630,663 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1949 698,665 Great Britain Oct. 211, 1953 726,310 Great Britain Mar. 16, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Afraldite Moss, CJ. British Plastics, pp. 521-527, November 1948. (Copy in US. Dept. of Commerce, Patent Oiice, Scientic Library and in Div. 67). 

1. A RAILROAD RAIL JOINT COMPRISING RAIL END PORTIONS AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL METALLIC ELEMENT HAVING A SURFACE COMPLEMENTARY TO AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE LATERAL SURFACES OF SAID RAIL END PORTIONS, SAID END PORTIONS AND SAID ELEMENT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RIGIDLY BONDED TOGETHER BY THE INTERPOSITION THROUGHOUT AT LEAST A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID COMPLEMENTARY SURFACES OF A THERMO-SETTING SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDING AGENT. 